More S.F. retirees join $100,000 pension club

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, July 19, 2009

The number of San Francisco retirees or their survivors knocking back $100,000 or more a year in city pensions has grown to 709.

That's 229 more than last year. It's also 124 more than for all of Los Angeles - a city with more than four times San Francisco's population - according to figures freshly provided to the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, a pension reform group.

Those in San Francisco who have earned a ride on the golden highway include six former police chiefs, four former fire chiefs or their widows and a slew of former department heads.

The highest pension - $242,000 - goes to former Police Chief Earl Sanders. He got a $20,000 bump this year, thanks to a cost-of-living increase.

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As with last year's list, the bulk of those making more than $100,000 appear to be either retired police or firefighters.

San Francisco Retirement Board head Clare Murphygave two reasons for the jump: a surge in employees who became eligible for retirement this year, and cost-of-living increases that bumped earlier pensioners over the $100,000 mark.

"Are we going to keep growing at this rate? Probably not," Murphy said.

A new civil grand jury report on pension costs said there was a widespread practice of "spiking" in the police and fire departments - the practice of members getting temporarily promoted in their final year on the job to bump up their retirement benefits.

The report also said that more than half of the police and firefighters who have retired since 1998 are getting paid more in retirement than when they worked.

Murphy said the increase was due mainly to the way the cost-of-living increases are calculated for cops and firefighters who were hired before 1976.

So far the city has not had a problem meeting its pension obligations - and Murphy says she expects the program to stay well-funded in the future.

Which is good for Murphy, who plans to retire herself next year after 40 years with the city.

Check, please: After voting for big pay cuts and furloughs, University of California regents headed over to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park with administrators, spouses and guests for a post-meeting banquet.

Given the "let them eat cake" image of about 100 UC brass and friends sitting down to a catered bash while workers take it in the shorts, UC headquarters is naturally a bit sensitive about the soirée.

"It was their regular dinner that they have when they meet," UC spokesman Peter Kingsaid. "No state money was involved."

Guests included 26 regents, three former regents, three regents-designate, 10 UC chancellors and two faculty representatives.

Private endowment funds covered the first $64 per person - anything more than that was picked up by the individual guests.

King said he didn't know what the final tab was.

"It should also be noted that the regents don't get paid," King said. "This has long been a way of saying 'thank you' for their service."

Self-help: Lots of buzz lately about all the celebs giving to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's gubernatorial campaign, but one name escaped everyone's notice - his own.

Newsom tossed his own money into the hat on the last day of filings for the first six months of the year - a stretch in which he hoped to show his money pull was as strong as that for his Democratic rival, Attorney General Jerry Brown.

And somehow he forgot to Twitter, Facebook or even send out an old-fashioned press release on it.

Tuned out: Talk about doing yourself in.

The other morning, a woman was riding the Muni light rail when a guy walked up, ripped the earphones from her iPod, jumped off the train and ran down the street.

The woman and her boyfriend gave chase, and the thief threw the earphones to the ground and kept going.

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